


Ramble On, Ramble On

by TheJadeGrenade



Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, Original Work
Genre: Agender Character, Anxiety, Friends to Lovers, Implied Anxiety, Moving Out, Nonbinary Character, Other, Poetry, Self-Discovery, Socially Awkward Character, UNBETA'D WE DIE LIKE ILLITERATE SQUIDS, moving in
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-03-06 09:40:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18848461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheJadeGrenade/pseuds/TheJadeGrenade
Summary: "The Ramblers were an odd folk, human-like, sort of like Mumriks, two-tailed, great with words, and were generally very rooted into tradition. This is the tale of one such Rambler, the Blue Rambler."The Blue Rambler moves just north of Moominvalley, beginning to discover another side to themself.





	1. Prelude: The Blue Rambler Leaves the Village

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my very first "OCs in Canon Universe" fic. I was very nervous to do this, but...  
> OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BOI
> 
> wish me luck

The Ramblers were an odd folk, human-like, sort of like Mumriks, two-tailed, great with words, and were generally very rooted into tradition. This is the tale of one such Rambler, the Blue Rambler.

But, one might ask, why is the Blue Rambler called the Blue Rambler? Was it their hair, their eyes, their thoughts? What could it be?

And the answer to that would be: their color coding.

For, you see, Ramblers were assigned colors very young. Upon birth, they were garbed in brown, but once their personalities started to show, Ramblers were then made to wear only one color for their time on this Earth. This color was decided by the parents and the elders, not the child. The child likely wouldn't remember wearing brown once! And there were only a few colors one could wear! No browns, tans, peaches, blacks, whites or grays, and you only got to wear the one color! Even if you did become important enough to get a specific shade nobody else alive would have, it would still be the color of your life, only darker or lighter or shinier.

Some were certainly fine with this, but others were not.

So we begin our story with the Blue Rambler, sitting near the docks with their friend, the Red Rambler. Both are near the same age, though they looked rather different. Blue's hair was a the color of a slightly burnt gingerbread loaf, and Red's was quite longer and lighter. Blue wore their favorite blue translucent silk scarf, a warm sweater, and comfortable legwear, all blue, while Red didn't even pay attention to what they wore anymore, as they were growing to despise the color red. 

Blue had invited Red here because they had something important to say, but just didn't know how to say it. 

"I wish things were different," Red said to Blue. "I'm quite fed up with... life in general. Trying to not keep desiring change, trying to not just..." They sighed.

"...I- I don't want to- to bother you more but... I've decided I'm moving." Blue said, changing the subject bluntly and toiling about it.

"Of all the times." Red stared expressionlessly at Blue. "Never change, Blue." They turned their head away, looking toward the docks. "So... where are you going?" Red tried to mask their disappointment. They wanted Blue there more than anything, but it was the time they were allowed to venture out and leave. Red guessed Blue might be tired of this silly old village too.

Blue began looking straight toward the docks too. "North of a valley. A nice valley, I've heard. They call it Moominvalley, perhaps because... Well, I don't know."

"Well. Good luck. Don't expect me to see you off." Red got up, leaving.

The two Ramblers' relationship had been rocky for a while. Red had been different than they used to be, and Blue was clueless as to what to do.

"I'll send you a postcard!"

The next morning, Blue began their trek, quietly stepping through the barely-melted snow of the woods.


	2. 1: A Soft Song Plays Through the Snow's Soft Steps

It was dawn. Blue was already outside the village, filled with anticipation.

In their hand was a portion of a poem they had written, for, they were something of a poet, they just had a knack for it.

"A soft wind calls  
the brisk chill's hope"

But that was all they could think of. A brain just-awakened has a hard time thinking anyways.

Softly, they stepped through snow-covered trails, putting away the poem and taking out the map. "I'll head north for a while, then I'll go northeast...oh my. I hope that's right, at least."

They took a final glance back at the village before taking two large steps forward. "Goodbye, home. Hello, home."

~

They trekked for two hours before deciding to take a break, tired and a bit cold. They rummaged around in their bag for a moment, taking out their capped bottle of ink, a quill pen, and the page from earlier. "What a beautiful sight."

"A soft wind calls   
the brisk chill's hope  
for the sun to warm it up.

For when the ice melts  
And change begins again  
It sure will be a"

No... they crossed out the last line.

"A soft wind calls   
the brisk chill's hope  
for the sun to warm it up.

For when the ice melts  
And change begins again  
 ~~It sure will be a~~ "

They couldn't figure out the last line. How peculiar. They ate a bit of the assorted foods from their bag (cookies and cocoa water is a very nutritious snack, right?) and continued on the long trail ahead of them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...they're coming from the south
> 
> expect an encounter next time on the rambler show


	3. A Moonlit Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's way later than Blue expected it to be. They luckily brought a tent, but it was only supposed to be a backup.
> 
> Or, Blue is clueless at camping and gets acquainted with the mumrik who stole multiple beets from the Rambler Village long ago.

Winter-Spring nights were colder the more northern you got. Blue wouldn't have fathomed being out this late without a good reason, but they supposed they had as good of one as ever.

They heard a faint noise coming from somewhere _What is that?_

It continued. Blue gulped, nervously going toward it. _Curiosity killed the cat... but did it ever kill the snake?_

It resulted in them coming closer and closer to a light source, and as they got closer, it seemed to be something... harmonica-like?

Now the curiosity was less terrified and more confused. Why would anyone play harmonica this (probably) late?

They stepped through the bushes realizing...

Oh. Another person.

Panic.

That was all they could do, start overexplaining, start rambling. For, it was in their name. 

"I am so sorry, why would I do this, I was trying to make sure that noise wasn't some sort of odd creature of death, but now I've disturbed you and..." 

This went on for a good three minutes, Blue disregarding the rest of the world in those moments.

Until they got another glance at this person...

"Wait. Are you a Rambler? I feel like I know of you."

"No, I am not." said the stranger, seeming entirely unphased by the Rambler's ramblings.

"Oh. You seem Rambler-like. Maybe our species are related." The stranger's scarf caught their eye. "Oh. And you're wearing two colors, of course you aren't a Rambler... Oh. Oh. Ohhhhh. You're the Green Mumrik! The one the elders were complaining about all winter long a few years back! You're the beet thief! Or... did you steal beets from a coastal village? I think there was also some signs destroyed... and don't worry about me being mad about it, my friend and I... we got a good laugh about it." _Back when they didn't feel so bad about themself,_ they added silently.

No comment from Probably-Green-Mumrik. Oh well.

"Well, sorry for intruding. I'm not breaking any... camp-etiquette rules, am I? There probably isn't such a thing, is there? Well, uh... Uh... Your song was nice."

Gosh. This was very awkward, at least to the Blue Rambler.

"I- uh... should I even keep trying to converse with you? Am I doing something wrong?"

The Stranger-Maybe-Green-Mumrik gave the Blue Rambler a confused, somewhat irritated look, perhaps a 'what sort of rules are you talking about?' look. Unfortunately, the Rambler continued to drag on. 

"Are there even rules? What am I even doing here? I'm probably such a bother, ohhh... this is bad. I'll never make it out here alone if I can't even hold a conversation with someone!"

"Alone, you say?"

Oh. A response! That was good. "Yes. Alone. I've moved from the village, I just didn't want to be there for at least a while... or, at least, I _am_ moving. I've yet to get to where I'm going, just north of a valley called Moominvalley. I have to at least get there tomorrow so I can send my friend a postcard. I said I would, so I must! I'm worried about them... I left at a rather bad time, they were already acting different, and now I'm gone..."

A few moments of silence. Blue was, of course, nervous, but they waited for this stranger to reply, or maybe just... change the subject.

Nope. Nothing. What is this? Half-conversation? Was there even a point to this?

"Have you been to Moominvalley? Is it nice?"

"I suppose, yes, it is."

Green-Mumrik-Maybe was very good at short answers.

"Well, if you've been to a Rambler village... could you say if it's better or worse?"

Another few moments...

"Better than a Rambler village, less rules."

"Less rules? Does that mean there's no color-coding?" Blue was rather shocked. 

"Of course not."

"Oh my. I could... I could... Oh my, oh my... I could wear something else, something orange, something purple, something yellow! I can do that in Moominvalley?"

"Yes."

The Blue Rambler seemed newly invigorated. "Forget sleep, then, I'm going to Moominvalley straightaway!" They began marching onward, northeast. They glanced back. "Say, do you know anyone who knows how to make clothing?"

"...There's a large house in the valley called Moominhouse. Moominmamma might be able to help you."

"Thank you, er... Green-Mumrik-Probably!"

And in the darkness of the night, they continued on, disregarding their tired self.

~

Unfortunately, if you keep going while tired...

sometimes, you might just pass out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. snufkin does crop crime  
> 2\. blue sucks at social  
> 3\. planning a sequel in which it gets chaotic  
> 4\. Ramblers are snake-related, kinda like people say mumriks are cats.


	4. Awaken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue wakes up in an unfamiliar place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://u.cubeupload.com/Valid_Alias/RAMBLERS.png
> 
> i drew ramblers

"You know I am neither, dream demon."

~

"Kazoos are for the ultimatum. For I am the Azurite Rimbleramble!"

~

"Huh?!" The Blue Rambler shot up from a bed they did not recognize, with only vague, weird, memories of their dream and meeting the Green Mumrik. "Where am I!?" They hopped out of bed, ready to engage with their kidnappers... Or perhaps hosts. One of the above. They picked their backpack up off the floor, thank goodness nothing was lost, and went out of the room with the unfamiliar bed. 

They came downstairs to a scene of what looked to be a group having a meal. Three fluffy white beings, which they deemed 'Hat,' 'Apron,' and 'Nothing,' a short one that reeked of chaos, 'Upright Bun' and one with a better taste in hats than Hat, that one was 'Striped Shirt.'

Their sense of politeness didn't kick in until after exclaiming "Did you kidnap me?!" at the bottom of the stairwell, and then they caught themself and "Ack- sorry. What I meant to say was... Why on this very large Earth am I in this house? I should really get going, I need to be in Moominvalley by tomorrow-"

"Pardon me, but you're _in_ Moominvalley!" said Apron.

"Oh. Well, in that case, could you direct me to a... Moominmamma? In a Moominhouse?"

"I am Moominmamma, and this is Moominhouse." said Not-Apron, Moominmamma.

"Hm. Well... Life has done a good job of making coincidences convenient. Can somebody please explain how I got here?"

"Oh," said Nothing, "my friend Snufkin and I found you asleep near the edge of the southern woods. We couldn't wake you up whatsoever, so we brought you to the Moominhouse."

"Then... Oh my. Oh my. I must've gotten so tired walking here... I tried to get here as soon as possible after I talked to the Green Mumrik was..." Blue paused for a moment. "Oh no. Did I talk in my sleep? Please tell me you heard nothing of Rimblerambles and Red's Ridiculous Hall of Ridicule!"

"I'm afraid we did."

"Nooo! My worst ramblings have been revealed! Kazoos are not the ultimatum, they're just fun! I do not know of any dream demons, and Red, though they are my muse, is not the judge of a chaotic courthouse- Wait. Oh. There's much more important things to ramble about now, like getting to the house, and asking Moominmamma about clothes-making! Moominmamma, can you teach me how to make clothing at some point? Oh- I haven't even introduced myself, I haven't even done anything correctly! Thank you for not letting me sleep on the forest floor, but we will have a do-over! Goodbye for now!" Blue dashed out the door, not looking back. 

"Onward to the old Málheimer.." they murmurred, running the whole way.


	5. Málheimer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The home, the postcard, the plans.

After running for a good ten minutes, the Blue Rambler slowed down. There it was in all its glory, the old Málheimer.

In the old language, this directly meant "talk home" or "talking home," but it was something of a Ramblerhouse to the Moominhouse, except it was long abandoned and certainly unclaimed. It sat by a mountain, with a spring somewhat nearby. The Málheimers were used during the Rambler migration, which Blue was not alive for. The home had history and heritage like no other type of home, at least to the Ramblers.

Blue rummaged through their bag, unveiling a knife. They began to carve a symbol into the wooden door. One symbolizing home, claiming, belonging.

This was their home now.

A claimed home.

They entered the building, rather small compared to the homes in the southern Rambler Village. Homely, dusty, and furnished, better than nothing.

They began unpacking their bag, and going from room to room to drop things off. Pens in the study, clothes in the bedroom, food in the kitchen...

Yes, the place had anything a Rambler could need, now.

Except for maybe company. Yes! That would be perfect for a do-over, a small party, and... yes.

They'd have to plan that later, though, as there was something much more important.

The Blue Rambler began sketching the form of the mountain with the nearby home and spring on the front of the carefully-sized postcard. It was not in color, nor did the Blue Rambler have time to color it, but it certainly looked at the very least alright.

After writing a pair of addresses, they began writing.

"Dearest Red Rambler,  
How have you been keeping? I've just moved into the Málheimer. I just wanted to let you know, I am safe and sound. I'd love to see you again, if you'd like to visit. I'd recommend traveling by water, though, as the walk would take you anywhere from a day to two days, and the waters seem like they'd be much easier to navigate than the woods. You don't even need to tell me when, the door is always open, and I'll have a room ready.   
Yours truly,  
The Blue Rambler"

They stepped outside to place the letter in the postbox, then the final lines finally came to them. After placing the postcard inside the box, they rushed to the study, and finished the poem.

"A soft wind calls   
the brisk chill's hope  
for the sun to warm it up.

For when the ice melts  
And change begins again  
I think of you  
and it seems to never end"

"Oh. How sappy I am." They sighed, another poem done. But there were plans to be made, lifetimes to be lived! They could not linger on that for so long. They had to make a good first-second impression!

So, they began planning. They would make the ultimate impression. Because there was everything to lose and everything to gain.


	6. A Day Painted Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue meets an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a long update break!  
> I hope you enjoy this.
> 
> And don't ask me how Moominmamma can make things so quickly.

The next day, Blue went out to deliver the invites. After introducing themself for real this time, a bunch went to Moominhouse, but since they had no clue how many people lived in the valley, they just gave the invites and asked if they could give the invites to whoever ended up in the Moominhouse or hanging about. Their face was red the whole time, as they were embarrassed thinking about the other day's happenings. They were about to leave when the one person Blue knew the name of, Moominmamma, stopped them. 

"You said you would like to learn how to make clothes the other day, right? Well, I'd be happy to teach you. I also made you this, but it may not fit. If it doesn't, I'd be happy to teach you how to make one." She handed them a light, breathable sweater, one that looked very comfy. Even better, it was a color out of their ordinary set of blues. It was orange. A beautiful way to start the collection off.

"This is... Thank you, Moominmamma. I'll be sure to repay you somehow." Before anyone could disagree, they left, putting it on over their clothes.

~

Later that day, the Blue Rambler went to the beach. Nope. No planning here. Just procrastination. They saw a group of people, including Nothing and the Green Mumrik. They seemed to be clamoring about something. 

"I'm telling you, that's the Groke in that boat!" said someone they'd call... Honestly, Blue didn't know what to compare that one to. A kangaroo or wallaby, perhaps?

"Don't be silly, that isn't the Groke... It's probably just a traveler, Sniff." said Nothing.

But Blue recognized the boat near the horizon. It was one from the docks of the Rambler Village.

Oh. Could it be...?

No, it probably wasn't.

They sat a comfortable distance away from the group after passing them, and watched the waters as the boat kept coming closer.

And closer. And closer.

When it was just aways from the shore, Blue realized who it was.

"RED!?" They got up, running to the dock.

As the boat pulled in, they clearly knew it was Red, but in different garb. Black clothes, a jumpsuit, accessories with a bit of ribbon for their hair, which was in a bun.

"It's.. you." Blue said.

"Well, yes. But I'm not exactly Red anymore. Allow me to reintroduce myself." They climbed into the dock after tying the boat up.

"I am the Black Rambler of... Well, not of anywhere at the moment. And you appear to be... Not Exactly Blue."

Huh.

Wait... They weren't Blue anymore. They were wearing orange too.

"Then... Who am I?"


	7. Who

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue isn't Blue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pronoun confusion notice: the two both use they sorry if I suck at writing

Black looked Not-Blue straight in the eyes. "I'm not sure. That's for you to find out."

Not-Blue broke eye contact. They glanced to the side noticing the others at the beach had somehow wandered off already. No backing out by saying they were busy now.

"Er- say, how did you get those clothes? And for that matter, the boat?"

"Oh, you know, the Black Market, some haggling, and a bit of knife-use."

"Did... Did you kill someone?"

"No. Just for cutting some ropes."

"Ah. You seem to be feeling a lot better since Iast saw you." A twinge of anxiety went through Not-Blue's thoughts. Was it because they were gone and they could finally be alone?

"Well, yes. I'm not Red anymore, I'm Black. I have no color. I'm finally free."

"I see. So... What exactly is the Black Market?"

"It's the market for black and white clothes. They also sell colors one normally isn't allowed to buy."

"I see... I wish I'd known about this long ago. I'd always wanted to experiment with other colors."

"I've always known I wanted no color, not even something that holds all colors. I've always wanted pure, cozy darkness."

"And you never told me?"

"I wasn't sure how you would react, but now that you've left town, I thought you wouldn't be as big of an influence but, ah, I've been kicked out for the time being, so I will have to stay with you... At least I know you're alright with this, and that you yourself are at least somewhat like me, right?"

"...I think so. Now, let's get to the house."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this has big coming out vibes
> 
> in case you didn't notice
> 
> I've been using color as kind of a metaphor for gender.
> 
> Or sexuality.
> 
> Or anything else you might feel the need to hide...


End file.
